13 Dec Working Towards Zero Carbon Concrete
With a contribution of 8%, the global cement industry is the second-largest producer of CO2 and thus one of the focus points of the COP26 climate targets. Recognizing this, several countries have already pledged to attain net zero in the “major public construction” by 2050. In line with these goals, 40 global concrete and cement manufacturers are now committed to cutting CO2 emissions in half by 2030 on the path to achieving net zero by 2050.
To reach these goals industry, architects and engineers alike are now tasked with incorporating low carbon products and sustainable solutions into their projects by:
- Incorporating supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) in concrete mixes
- Enabling smart designs
- Building durable structures for an extended service life
- Driving the circular economy and recycling of building materials
- Specifying low carbon footprint solutions
- Introducing greener products and decarbonize production
With its innovative crystalline technology Penetron can – already today – provide tested and proven solutions to increase durability, service life and sustainability of concrete structures and assist in the reduction of the carbon footprint of any construction project.
Penetron protects concrete by reducing its permeability. This prevents water and waterborne chemicals such as chlorides, sulphates and acids from entering the structure and deteriorating it. By increasing concrete durability, Penetron extends the service life of the concrete. This has a profound impact on sustainability and carbon emissions on several levels.
Maintenance and repair
A self-healing, durable and waterproof concrete requires significantly less maintenance as future cracks will self-heal autonomously largely avoiding the need for maintenance and repairs, which will produce additional carbon emissions.
With Penetron the carbon footprint linked to maintenance of typical repair projects can be reduced by an average of 90% over the life of the project.
Service Life Extension
Penetron provides concrete with a higher durability and can extend service life by 60 years or more. Building structures with a longer service life reduces the need for demolition and rebuilding as projects can be utilized for a longer period of time. This saves resources and reduces the carbon footprint by up to 50% or more.
Enhancing low-grade concrete mixes
With Penetron low-grade concrete mixes containing lesser amounts of cement can be enhanced to perform equally or better in regard to durability and service life expectancy as prescribed durability mixes (containing more cement). This allows carbon emission savings of up to 10%.
Elimination of high carbon products
Conventional concrete protection solutions for below-grade structures often involves high carbon emission products such as sheets made of bitumen, PVC, TPO or EPDM. Concrete with Penetron Admix has a much lesser carbon footprint per square meter and can result in carbon emission savings of up to 20% in the below-grade section of the project.
Unquantified carbon emission savings
The use of an integral, crystalline concrete protection solution with Penetron Admix will also enable additional, unquantified emission savings due to optimized, shorter construction scheduling, smaller excavation footprints as well as manpower-, energy-, time- and cost-savings.
For more than 40 years, Penetron contributes to building more sustainable and longer-lasting structures the world over. Integrating Penetron solutions at the design stage allows for greener, more resilient concrete structures with an extended service life. Integral, crystalline admixtures are a far more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional concrete protection systems and can help to reduce the carbon footprint of concrete structures by up to 65% over the life of the project.